Hickson 'meant no harm' with Valentine's tweets

Hickson says he "meant no harm" with his Valentine's Day tweets about when to cut off contact with a woman, insisting he was just joking around.

Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson reacts after he is called for a foul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Phoenix beat Portland 102-98.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

The Trail Blazers' big man took to the social media site last week to post a series of tweets with the hashtag (hash)girlbye that he meant to be funny one-liners. But some of the stream drew criticism for coming across as demeaning toward women. He also included a shout-out to strippers.

Hickson said he understood how some might be offended.

"I meant no harm in any way. I'm not that type of person to cause harm or commit harm to anyone," he said. "It's an opinion and everyone has one. It just matters what side of the fence you're on."

A spokesman for the Blazers said Wednesday that Hickson's tweets were treated as an internal matter that has been addressed. The team has a Twitter policy which it reviews with the players.

Hickson is not the first person to say something considered objectionable on Twitter. But as a member of the Trail Blazers, he represents the team and the NBA. His Twitter profile says he plays for the Blazers.

"I think I represent the Trail Blazers great. When I tweet, I tweet outside basketball. Like I said, it's my personal things I do and like I said, it's an opinion," he said. "I can do something good and a million people think it's something good and one person thinks it's wrong."

Last Thursday, while the Blazers were on a six-game road trip before the All-Star break, Hickson fired off a few tweets that concluded with "(hash)girlbye."

One example: "Your bag cost more than your rent ... (hash)girlbye." Others made sexual references, and they didn't go over well with everyone.